Man Utd stars laughed at team-mate on WhatsApp after he broke down crying

Rio Ferdinand burst into laughter while recalling the moment when his former team-mate Nani broke down in tears on the pitch. The incident was revisited when a photo of Nani crying was shared in a private WhatsApp group, prompting plenty of hilarity from its members.

The ex-United winger appeared as a guest on Ferdinand's latest episode, co-hosted by Joel Beya, where they discussed various Premier League moments from the past and present. During the conversation, Ferdinand mentioned that he had posted a message in their group chat, asking his former colleagues if they had questions for Nani - but not before taking a lighthearted jab at him. Ferdinand said: "I said in the group that Nani is coming on the podcast, if anyone has any questions for him." However, Beya pointed out that had omitted an important part of the story, adding: "You didn't say what you put in the group first."

The former United defender couldn't contain his giggles as he said: "Nani, I put the picture in the group of you at Anfield, when he was crying. Youngy just text back, 'Why did Nani cry?'"

The photo in question that prompted Ashley Young's query shows Nani in tears on the pitch at Anfield, after being on the receiving end of a strong tackle from ex-Liverpool player Jamie Carragher. In a rare defeat for back in March 2011, they suffered a 3-1 loss to Liverpool, with Dirk Kuyt netting a hat-trick.

The match was marred by an incident involving Carragher and Nani, where the former's late tackle resulted in a gash on the latter's leg. Nani's response to the challenge sparked controversy, as he initially rose to protest to the referee, but then collapsed back to the ground. He was eventually stretchered off the field while looking very distraught.

Reflecting on the event days later in a Guardian interview, Nani confessed his tears were due to fears that his season was over. He said: "When I saw my leg for the first time, I thought my season was finished.

"That is why I was crying. Afterwards, the doctor saw my leg and said I had been lucky because it just needed stitches and I would be out for two or three weeks. He is surprised that I could recover even quicker."

According to Ferdinand in a past episode of his podcast, then-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was far from sympathetic towards Nani's dramatics on the field. Ferdinand recalled Ferguson's harsh words, claiming the boss wished Nani's leg was "f****** broken" due to his theatrics.

Ferdinand said: "But I'm being real. This is a true story. After that, Ferguson gave him two weeks off because he needed to recover. In that team we didn't care, we were ready to kill him.

"And even Ferguson [said]: 'I hope your leg is f***ing broke! I really hope your leg is broke!' He was killing Nani for always falling on the floor. It was like, you can't be a United player and be doing that."

Ferdinand praised the strong friendships among former United players, saying that their teasing was lighthearted and not taken to heart. He added: "This is what I used to love about it though. Nobody took it bad, look at the Nani days, we would just be laughing like, everyday, everyone in the training ground laughing - then when you get on the pitch, then we're serious."